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Modernism, Postmodernism, Post-postmodernism and design

Modernism, said Charles Jencks, died with the demolition of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in Chicago.
Post-modernism appears to be dying with the demolition of Marco Polo House in London (see video).
Post-postmodern (Post-POMO) design may arrive when designers recover the confidence to blend reason with beliefs eg in Vitruvius’ design objectives: design should be functional, multi-objective, sustainable and meaningful.

There was something really good about modernism, because design should be functional.

And there was something really good about postmodernism, because design should be multi-valent.

But something will always be missing if design is based on reason alone: for Commodity, Firmness and Delight, designers must also hold beliefs.

PS of these three words, the most problematic is ‘Delight’. It suggests the type of pleasure you get from a pudding, like Raspberry Delight, rather than the more serious objectives which have led the development of the arts from century to century.

Maybe Wotton should have translated Vitruvius’ aims as Commodity, Firmness and Pavlova.
Sadly, I did not invent the term Post-POMO. It is a handier phrase than post-Postmodern (though even this can sound good with a quick-quick-slow rhythm). Written postpomo (a bit like postpone) the word is good enough to earn a place in the lexicon of the fine arts.